Anton Oliver

From the time he captained the national under 19 and secondary school sides in 1993, as a pupil of Marlborough Boys College, Anton Oliver seemed to be marked for rugby greatness. It was inevitable that an early spotlight should fall on him as he was the son of Frank, an All Black local in 17 tests between 1976 and 1981 and captain in the Bledisloe Cup series against the Wallabies in 1978.

Frank’s early influence on Anton’s rugby was not significant, but it was on his recommendation that the son switched to hooking in his teenaged years rather than his early preferred position in the loose forwards.

After one game for Marlborough in 1993, Anton Oliver, having gone to Dunedin to study, soon after became a regular in Otago representative sides and by 1995, having played in the previous two seasons for the New Zealand Colts, he was quickly on the fringe of national honours.

He was not yet 20 when he was called in to act as a reserve for the All Blacks in the Bledisloe Cup test of 1995 in Sydney when Norman Hewitt was ruled out with the injury. That test coincided with the attempted hijacking of international rugby by the World Rugby Corporation, an experience which must have jolted the youngster for it was played in an atmosphere almost without precedent.

Oliver became an All Black in 1996 on the tour of South Africa, but he played only a couple of midweek games and was ranked behind Sean Fitzpatrick and Hewitt. He also made the tour of Britain and Ireland late in 1997, again behind Fitzpatrick and Hewitt.

But by then Fitzpatrick was struggling with the injury which forced his retirement and in 1998 Oliver jumped over Hewitt to become the All Blacks first choice hooker. He retained that role through to 2001, including the 1999 World Cup, and was installed as captain in 2001, holding the position under the coaching of Wayne Smith and then John Mitchell.

Oliver had had extensive captaincy experience, starting with youth teams and including occasional stints with Otago at provincial level and the Highlanders in the Super 14. But the 2001 season was beset by an apparent lack of confidence in the All Black camp, particularly arising from two back to back defeats to the Wallabies in Dunedin and Sydney.

Oliver’s leadership came in for some questioning, particularly the Dunedin defeat when a late decision was made to go for a try when all that could have been achieved was a bonus point, which would have come more easily from a penalty goal attempt.

Injury in the 2002 Super 12 removed Oliver from All Black consideration for that season and for the next two or three seasons his national involvement was very much off and on. It seemed that in 2004 his career was winding down to a close when excellent form for a struggling Otago side saw him recalled for the 2004 end of season tour of Europe.

Another injury hampered his 2005 season, but he returned in time to make the end of year tour and in 2006-07 he returned as a first choice again, the new coaching regime of Graham Henry having him in a dual role with Keven Mealamu, the pair alternating depending of whether Oliver’s scrummaging power was needed or Mealamu’s mobility in the loose.

Oliver was seen as something of a rarity among All Blacks and some of his contemporaries who had known only the modern, professional game. Oliver was an intellectual, interested in art, literature and the environment, especially that of Central Otago. He had an independent streak and that put him at odds, almost to the cost of his playing future, with some coaching disciplinarians such as Laurie Mains when he returned in the early 2000s to coach the Highlanders. Generally, though, Oliver was widely admired for his ability to think on issues beyond rugby.

It was typical of his thoughtfulness, for instance, that in the latter part of his career he affiliated himself with an Otago country club, Toko, for whom he made occasional appearances.

At the end of 2007, after playing in his second World Cup, Oliver left New Zealand for an overseas contract. His 298 first class appearances included 85 provincial games 127 for the Highlanders and 59 tests.